


In the Bleak Midwinter

by mayfield84



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Cuddling, F/M, Fluff, Hot Chocolate, I can’t help it, Ice Skating, I’m Lumax Trash, Lumax, Winter, pure fluff, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-30 09:28:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20095048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayfield84/pseuds/mayfield84
Summary: Max hated most anything that had to do with the cold. Snowball fights? Nope. Building a snowman? Skip. Sledding? Pass.She would be perfectly content cuddling up inside all winter with hot chocolate and a variety of books.But her friends would never let her do that.No, her friends were insistent that she participated in their wintry activities.Today, that included ice skating.





	In the Bleak Midwinter

**Author's Note:**

> i know i hardly post anything but lumax-centric fics but i can’t help it. they’re the purest ever and there isn’t enough soft lumax content out there.
> 
> anyways, this was a request from my friend, who wanted a fic where “one is good at ice skating and the other is terrified.” i hope you like it!

Max hated winter.

And when she said she hated winter, she meant she hated winter in Hawkins, Indiana, where it was bitterly cold, snowy, and windy.

California wasn’t like this. 

On bad ‘winter’ days there would be clouds and maybe a little rain, but it was never enough to prompt sleeping with a sweatshirt and 4 blankets just to stay warm like she had to here.

Not only did she hate the weather, though. Max also hated most anything that had to do with the cold. Snowball fights? _Nope_. Building a snowman? _Skip_. Sledding? _Pass_.

She would be perfectly content cuddling up inside all winter with hot chocolate and a variety of books.

But her friends would never let her do that.

No, her friends were _insistent_ that she participated in their wintry activities.

Today, that included ice skating.

“Have you ever been before?” Lucas asked. He gave her gloved hand a squeeze.

“Well yeah, they did have ice rinks in California. I had a birthday party there once,” she explained, scrunching up her nose. That party wasn’t fun. The redhead ended up being the worst skater there- she fell backwards 3 times and forwards at least twice. By the end of it she was wet and embarrassed and cold and ready to go home. The thought of that day was enough to make her shudder.

“That doesn’t count. Skating on a rink is nothing like skating on a frozen lake,” Lucas debated.

“You’re right! A rink has a smooth surface and railings to hold on to. Oh yeah, and less of a chance of dying in a frozen lake,” she scoffed.

“The danger makes it more fun,” Lucas suggested, chuckling. She laughed a little too. But the nerves still crept through her veins and slowly spread to different parts of her body.

“So... you’re good at this?” Max asked, thankfully able to keep her voice from shaking.

“Hell yeah! We’re all really good skaters. The boys in the party, I mean. We used to come all the time every winter,” he said. His girlfriend noticed the slight flush in his dark cheeks, and she couldn’t help but lean up and give him a kiss on the cheek at they walked. 

“That’s cute. And nerdy. And adorable,” She commented. 

“Shut up, we’ll see who looks cool when I skate circles around you,” he laughed heartily.

And that, combined with the sudden sight of the large frozen lake, made Max’s heart drop into the pit of her stomach.

“Jesus, it’s huge,” she commented quietly, particularly noticing the lack of railings for her to cling to.

“No bigger than is usually is. Now, c’mon, let’s go!” He exclaimed and dragged her down to the lake shore, where a few families had parked their belongings. Their was a large log laid out to act as a makeshift bench for the skaters.

“Sit,” he instructed, reaching for his backpack. “These were my moms. She used to be a really skater, but she wrote it off when she broke her ankle a few years back,” Lucas explained, handing her a simple, but elegant pair of skates. “Do you know how to put them on at least?”

“I think I can manage,” she dismissed. “You worry about your own skates.”

In just a few minutes, the two had on their skates, and one was ready to have fun. The other, on the other hand, hesitated on the shore.

The redhead watched as Lucas stepped on the ice in an effortless transition. He skated in a few circles, his gloved hands casually shoved in his jacket pockets.

“Come on, Max! I promise it’s not that bad!” He called, skating back over to where she hesitantly stood.

“Easy for you to say. You’ve done this a lot more than I have,” she mumbled, glancing at a few small children learning to skate with their parents’ help. Max pictured his parents taking little Lucas ice skating for the first time, and her heart thawed a bit. She imagined it wasn’t much different from when she tried teaching him how to ride a skateboard.

“Okay, then take my arm. I’ll show you how easy it is,” Lucas extended his hand, to which she gladly accepted- and immediately regretted when she stepped onto the ice. It was everything like she remembered: slippery, uncontrollable, terrible.

“Oh shit,” Max muttered as one of her feet slipped out from under her. But her boyfriend held on tight and didn’t let her fall.

“I got you, I got you,” he soothed, helping her regain her footing. As much as she could anyway.

For the next hour or so Lucas went over the basic foot patterns for how to skate in a straight line and how to skate in a curve. He figured the basics were all she needed to know, at least for now.

“Lucas, I think I’m getting it!” Max exclaimed, squeezing his hand. She had not let go of him since taking her first step on the ice, though the redhead did graduate from having a vice grip on his entire arm to just clasping his hand. Her feet moved (almost) in sync with his.

“Ready for me to let go?” He offered, and she could feel his grip on her hand loosen.

“No! _Hell_ no!” She cried out. Once again, Max’s fingers tightened around his, as if she wouldn’t let him let go, even if he wanted to.

“Max, come on... I know you can do it, Zoomer,” Lucas encouraged, trying once again to pry his hand from his girlfriend’s terrified grip.

“Don’t you dare, Stal- no, _Lucas_. Don’t. You. _Dare_.” Despite her threatening tone, the redhead stared at him with wide, pleading eyes.

“Oh, you don’t want me to let go?” Lucas asked. There was a mischievous glint in his warm brown eyes, and looking around, she knew there was no escape. They were practically in the middle of the lake (too far from where she could get to solid land without falling flat).

“Please,” Max whispered simply.

“Suit yourself,” he replied, beginning to skate faster, and faster, and faster, until they were going uncomfortably fast. But with their intertwined hands Lucas pulled his mortified girlfriend along.

“Lucas, what the hell do you think you’re doing? Are you _trying_ to kill us both?” Max stammered. Big mistake. She felt him slow down ever so slightly and quickly turn to face her, now holding both of her hands while he skated backwards.

“You would know it if I were,” he smirked and gave her a cheeky kiss on the lips. 

She blushed and stared angrily at the ice. “I hate you, Sinclair.”

“Oh, we’re on last-name basis now, huh? I can live with that, Mayfield,” he teased with a wink. She rolled her eyes.

Lucas only stayed like that for a few more moments before dropping one of her hands, skating forwards next to her now. Max noticed had slowed down significantly.

“How was that?” He promoted, now that they were going a speed she could manage.

“Kind of fun, I guess,” she admitted with a heavy flush.

“See? I told you it was worth it,” Lucas said. “Now, look.”

He skated away slightly from her, both hands held up. Max was skating all by herself.

“Lucas, get over here!” She stumbled, suddenly aware of her slipping feet as she tried skating over to him. For a moment, he didn’t take her seriously- but then he quickly realized she was actually about to fall, so he came to her rescue. One of his hands took hers while the other was firmly on her waist.

“You skated all by yourself for a full minute and you didn’t even realize I let go,” he commented softly. They were both suddenly very aware of how close together their faces were.

“Y-Yeah, well, I have thick glove padding,” she awkwardly blurted.

“I’m so proud of you Madmax,” he teased affectionately, examining her face. As soon as he caught her the second time they had stopped moving altogether (which Max certainly appreciated) and suddenly, Lucas really, really wanted to kiss her. But not just like normal.

He wanted to show her how special she was.

How amazing that she was willing to try something he loved so much just for the hell of it.

How amazing she was without even realizing it.

How amazing she was when she stopped doubting herself.

“You’re such a sap sometimes, y’know that Stalker?” She teased, gazing up into his deep espresso brown eyes, so compassionate and honest. Talk about being a sap. “But don’t you ever let go again, you hear me?”

“Loud and clear,” Lucas smiled, planting a delicate kiss on the side of her mouth. 

And then, with her hand in his, he smoothly spun her around once, twice, three times, before dipping her and kissing her deeply. It was simultaneously the most romantic and the most cheesy thing he had ever done for her, but a small part of her _(most of her)_ loved it. She hummed against his lips and he helped her back up.

“Wanna skate a few more laps then head back to your place?” Max suggested, suddenly in a much better mood. He nodded excitedly. 

Thankfully the rest of the time they spent on the ice was uneventful. Lucas held onto Max as tightly as she held onto him- at one point, he had managed to slip his arm around her waist without either of them falling. They joked and chatted about various things (mostly about how Max was cold-blooded and needed heat constantly), took time watching Hawkins youth learn how to skate much more successfully than the redhead, and teased each other relentlessly about various things.

The day was _magical_.

But it wasn’t over yet.

When they arrived back at the Sinclair’s, it got even better. Max relished in the warmth of the house (both physically and spiritually) and was incredibly relieved when she was able to strip herself of her layers. The gloves, hat, jacket, boots, second pair of socks, and sweatshirt all came off, until she was only wearing a soft long-sleeve shirt, jeans, and a pair of thick socks. The redhead collapsed on the couch dramatically while she watched Lucas build a fire in the fireplace.

“Want me to make some hot chocolate?” She offered, getting up and walking to the kitchen.

“Sure! You need any help?” Lucas called from the next room over.

“No, I got it,” she replied- she had been here enough times that she knew her way around his kitchen.

Once the cocoa was made and the fire was built, the two cuddled up on the couch and turned on the tv.

“Can we please watch A Christmas Story?” Lucas begged, giving his girlfriend’s shoulders a squeeze. She sipped her hot chocolate thoughtfully.

“You know I hate Christmas movies...” the redhead began, but sighed when she saw her boyfriend’s pleading eyes. “...but I like you, so sure. As long as you don’t mind me falling asleep on you halfway though.” She giggled.

It was a warm sound that made Lucas’ chest swell. “You can fall asleep on me any time you want, Madmax,” he commented. The statement was supposed to sound smooth, but her silence and awkward stare at him was a sign enough that he did not achieve his goal.

“That’s weird, Stalker,” she teased.

“You wouldn’t have me any other way,” he declared, completing his statement with a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

“Jeez, Stalker, at least kiss me where it matters,” Max joked, leaning up so he could kiss her on the lips. However, he did not meet her halfway. Instead he leaned down even further and placed his mouth to her jaw, then her neck, working it’s way to her collarbone. Her breathing stopped.

“Luc-“ she sputtered, clearly not expecting him to do that.

“You said kiss you where it matters,” her boyfriend murmured. His breath was hot against her freckled skin and it felt so good she shuddered. “So I am.”

“God, Lucas, what am I going to do with you,” Max sighed as the dark-skinned boy made his mark on her. She hummed softly and used her free hand to caress the back of his head, while his hand snaked around her waist to the small of her back. _Damnit_, he was good.

“Hopefully, return the favor,” he uttered against her neck. His voice was deep and smooth. More shudders ran up her spine. Not trusting her own voice, she nodded in agreement. 

It was moments like this when Max found herself both loving and hating her boyfriend the most. 

He was so gentle and soft- he knew exactly what her wants, needs, likes, and dislikes were. He was observant and generous and kind.

But at the same time, Max hated feeling this way. Around him, she was vulnerable- she was embarrassed easily and felt the strong desire to impress him (and she’s never worried about impressing _anyone_ before), sometimes she even found herself stuttering for the right words to say. Nobody had _ever_ left her speechless before. Not in a good way, at least.

“Stalker,” Max muttered, suddenly overwhelmed by a powerful feeling in her chest. Her hand slowly made its way to his chin and directed his head up at her. The way his warm brown gaze examined her made her temporarily forget to breathe.

“Yeah, Madmax?” Lucas asked, his eyes suddenly filled with concern.

“Oh, no, there’s nothing wrong,” she began, sensing he thought something was bad, “I just... I love you. That’s all.” Her voice was unusually soft.

“Jeez, Max, you scared me. I thought I was doing something wrong,” he chucked softly and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

“No, you could never. And I hate you for that,” she teased, kissing him again. She could feel him smile against her lips.

“With a girlfriend like you, how do you think I feel?” Lucas teased, using the hand on her back to pull her closer to him.

“Where should I start?” She bit her bottom lip when she realized how tantalizingly close he was to her. Their foreheads touched gently, and one small movement would bring their lips together again.

“Start here,” he murmured. She felt him kiss her with so much love it nearly hurt. “I love you and nothing will change that.”

“Not even the fact that I can’t ice skate for shit?” She teased.

“Not even that,” he laughed.

Max swore she could listen to his laugh on repeat. It was such a satisfying sound.

“Now can we watch the movie?” She asked, situating herself to face the screen better.

“I thought you said you didn’t like Christmas movies?” Lucas prompted curiously.

“I don’t, usually, but I can make exceptions,” she said simply. He planted a small kiss on her nose in response.

With a fire warming her toes, hot chocolate warming her insides, and her boyfriend to warm her heart _(jeez that was a cheesy thought)_, Max felt her eyes flutter closed. 

Lucas brought her in closer to him. He smelled of peppermint and chocolate and ever so slightly of cologne. The redhead never thought she could be so content doing something as simple as cuddling, but here she was. She was turning into such a sap and she hated it. 

“I hate you, Stalker,” Max muttered.

“Yeah, I know,” he chuckle softly and kissed her forehead as she drifted to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> god, these two are the best.
> 
> feel free to put in some more requests! i’m open to prompts again :)
> 
> however, i will be on vacation for a little while, so updates/posts might be a little less frequent than usual. i’ll still make an effort to write though. it keeps me happy, y’know? :D


End file.
